No summer camps, high-altitude camps, tournaments owing to Covid-19

Deepankar Sharda

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, June 17

For the first time in last two decades, the UT Sports Department is not organising summer sports-wing camps for the local trainees, owing to the Covid-19 pandemic. Not only this, the high-attitude training camps for the state-run academies have also been cancelled, while the summer tournaments have been put on hold.

Every year, the department runs a minimum 15-day programme, which is called a sports-wing, wherein selected players gets diet and training under professional coaches. The sports-wing seats are allotted at various coaching centres and also at schools, on the basis of performance. “We really cannot afford to conduct summer camps in these tough times. Though our complexes are open, we open it for restricted coaching. Things will take time to settle down and so does our plans,” said Tejdeep Singh Saini, Director Sports, UT.

Meanwhile, the high altitude camps for the trainees of the Chandigarh Football, Hockey and Cricket—which usually takes place at Sports Authority of India’s centre in Shillaroo, Himachal Pradesh—has also been called off till further orders. “We had fulfilled all the criteria and got the permission too. But due to the countrywide lockdown and restriction on movement, the process has been dropped,” added Saini. Last year, a total of 102 trainees participated in the camp, which was organised by the Chandigarh Sports Council. The participants get grouped in various batches to attend the camps during the month of June for a minimum period of 10 days. The camps are organised in order to enhance players’ physiological fitness for oxygen intake, lungs, ventilation and anaerobic capacities. Such camps also make the players acclimatise to high altitude conditions and can be instrumental in augmenting their physical fitness in terms of strength, endurance and speed development because of the arduous nature of hilly terrain.

Tournament schedule also disturbed

The summer schedule for organising tournaments has also been distributed due to the worldwide pandemic. As per the expected schedule, based on last year, the department had planned to organise interschool archery, swimming and cricket cash prize championships in May-June. However, till date, the department has not taken any decision on summer schedule. “We can organise championships under ‘no-spectator’ condition. But considering the increase in cases, we have decided to stay back for a while. For the safety of sportspersons, staff and officials, we may take some harsh steps, but it’s the need of the hour,” said Saini.